Alex Lynn, Will Stevens, and Norman Nato secured Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s maiden WEC victory at the Sao Paulo 6 Hours with a remarkable 1-2 finish.
The breakthrough win not only marked a significant milestone for Cadillac as a manufacturer but also signaled a dramatic shift in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, ending Ferrari’s dominant streak that had persisted since the season’s opening round.
From the outset, anticipation was high as the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, piloted by Alex Lynn, Will Stevens, and Norman Nato, started from pole position, with the sister #38 car of Earl Bamber, Jenson Button, and Sebastien Bourdais lining up just behind after a post-qualifying penalty.
The opening lap, however, saw the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 driven by Julien Andlauer seize the initiative with a bold move at turn eight, overtaking the pole-sitting Cadillac and establishing an early lead.
Andlauer’s pace was impressive, and he managed to build a gap of over four seconds in the initial phase, while the Cadillacs settled into a measured chase, conserving their resources for the long battle ahead.
The early stages of the race were not without drama for the leading Cadillacs as the #12 car was handed a drive-through penalty for running tire pressures below the mandated minimum, a setback that momentarily dropped them to fourth place behind the #93 Peugeot.
Despite this challenge, the trio of Lynn, Stevens, and Nato remained composed executing a flawless recovery strategy that would eventually see them reclaim the lead.
Meanwhile, the #38 Cadillac with Bourdais at the wheel maintained steady progress, keeping the pressure on the leading Porsche while fending off challenges from behind.
As the race settled into its rhythm, the first round of pit stops around the one-hour mark began to shape the strategic landscape.
The Porsche, still in the lead, opted for a conservative tyre strategy by changing only the right-side tires, while the Cadillacs took a more aggressive approach aiming to maximize their stint lengths and maintain consistent lap times.
Stevens now back in the #12 Cadillac began to close the gap to Andlauer’s Porsche, setting the stage for a pivotal sequence of laps as the race approached the halfway point.
It was during the second round of pit stops that the tide decisively turned in favor of Cadillac. A well-timed undercut by the #12 car with Alex Lynn at the controls, allowed them to leapfrog the Porsche and seize the race lead.
Lynn’s pace was relentless and he quickly established a commanding advantage, while the sister #38 car now with former Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button at the helm slotted into second place.
The closing stages of the race saw Norman Nato take over the #12 Cadillac for the final stint, tasked with bringing home the 2025 FIA WEC Sao Paulo 6 Hours race victory.
Behind him, Sebastien Bourdais in the #38 Cadillac faced mounting pressure from Michael Christensen in the #5 Porsche, who had taken over from Andlauer but Bourdais expertly defended his position to solidify a historic Cadillac 1-2 finish.
Full 2025 Sao Paulo 6 Hours Race Results
The final results saw the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA cross the line a full 57 seconds to claim maiden WEC victory ahead of the #38 sister car, with the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry rounding out the podium just under two seconds further adrift.
The #6 Porsche driven by Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor finished fourth after a spirited recovery drive, while the #20 BMW M Team WRT with Rene Rast, Marco Wittmann and Sheldon van der Linde, completed the top five.
Meanwhile, Peugeot delivered a remarkable performance as the two Peugeot 9X8s followed in sixth and seventh with Loic Duval in the #94 finishing ahead of his teammate Mikkel Jensen in the #93.
The 2025 Le Mans winning #83 AF Corse Ferrari finished eighth to mark the first and the only prancing horse entry in the top 10, as the works Ferrari teams struggled to match the pace of the leaders, hampered by recent balance of performance adjustments.
The #36 Alpine and the Proton customer Porsche 963 rounded out the top 10 with Mick Schumacher, Frédéric Makowiecki and Jules Gounon leading home Nico Pino, Neel Jani and Nicolás Varrone.
Toyota endured a particularly difficult weekend as both GR010 HYBRIDs struggled for pace and finished outside the top ten, marking the first time since 2018 that the team failed to score championship points.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries brought the #7 car home in 14th, while Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, running as a two-driver crew due to Sébastien Buemi’s absence, finished 15th.
